Dogpatch Press

Fluff Pieces Every Week

Tag: emergency

Three furries save lives in deadly multi-vehicle crash in England.

by Patch O'Furr

(Thanks for tip from Tinkafur)

On Saturday, September 16, a highway accident killed four and hospitalized three in South Gloucestershire, in the south west of England.  A truck suffered a tire blowout and lost control. It crossed into the oncoming lane, demolishing cars and a motorbike before landing in a ditch.

Three witnesses were in a car 30 seconds behind the crash. They rushed to help at a traumatic scene.  Kids were pulled from a car on fire, while rescue crews were stuck in traffic.  Eyewitness Katie Sultana says:

“Everyone ran out of their cars and the public were incredible, they managed to help many casualties out of the accident.

There were many people with blood on their bodies and then the car that had been forced down into the ditch with the lorry was surrounded by many men who were trying their hardest to get out the people inside… the emergency services were incredible, but honestly it was the worst crash I’ve ever seen.”

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VICE looks back on the Midwest Furfest attack, earning kudos for thoughtful journalism.

by Patch O'Furr

You can’t get inside (The Hooded Utilitarian, 1/5/15) is one of the few best “mainstream” articles about furries.  ‘Mouse’ wrote it with the perspective of an insider looking at outsiders who want an inside look:

“Furries are a little ridiculous.  We have an understanding about that.  But every blip of attention, even an attack on our second-most populated convention, investigated by authorities as an intentional act, is an occasion for poking fun.  Midwest Furfest is in Rosemont, Illinois, and this year it attracted 4,571 fuzzy folks.  My wife and I are regular attendees, though this year work obligations found us elsewhere.  Very early Sunday morning on December 7th, someone laid chlorine powder in a ninth floor stairwell.  Nineteen people hospitalized (one of them a good friend of mine), and hundreds endangered and inconvenienced, and all of them odd ducks.  Please remember how odd they are, and that they sometimes have sex, which is odder still.  So the gorge of distrust between our community and the media grows wider.  “We’re just not going to talk to you people any more,” we tell ourselves periodically, when the eye of mainstream culture is upon us.  Mainstream culture then obliges us.  A pity, because insulation from outside scrutiny is poisonous for any human endeavor.  But who is ready to cover us?”

The Midwest Furfest attack was perhaps the biggest spotlight moment for how furries and the media look at each other. The media didn’t come out looking so great. It was strange when a bunch of silly misfits kept the higher dignity.

A new article in VICE (2/11/16) breaks through that recursive mirror.  It’s a refreshingly direct look back, engaging us personally with no giggling about the misfortune of strangers.  It leaves outsider baggage at the door, while reminding us where it is.  The attack is unsolved, but the lack of conclusion doesn’t matter.  It’s about recognizing how impactful the story is. 4_Esv2H4_400x400

CSI Fur Fest: The Unsolved Case of the Gas Attack at a Furry Convention – by Jennifer Swann.

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Furry fan struggling for life after Taiwan explosion that injured 500. (Update)

by Patch O'Furr

Art by Alex

Art by Alex

Here’s an update to the tragic story from 6/29/15, that comes with a GoFundMe appeal for help.

Alex H. is known to furry friends as a fandom artist. To everyone else, he was the only American caught in a special effects accident at a festival in Taiwan. 500 were injured, over 200 in critical condition, and at least two have since died from burns. Hospitals and the community in Taiwan are working hard to care for the overload of victims.

Alex suffered burns to 90% of his body. His family has appealed to the public for medical funding help, receiving a large amount of the original $75,000 request in a short time. But the difficult challenge of accessing care among all the other victims have caused them to raise an urgent request for $200,000, so they can fly him back for local care in the USA.

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